the other zeroes stood in front of the humming freezer, their glowing eyes narrowing as they ensured the lock was secure. inside, the cool zero pounded against the icy walls, muffled protests echoing from within.

zero (the one w/ the hat): “oh, come on! this is totally uncool!” they said, trying to get out by banging on the door of the freezer

ignoring them, the group turned their attention to the dusty stack of vhs tapes piled in the corner of the dimly lit room. one of the zeroes hesitated, holding up a tape with a barely visible label, its title scratched away.

zero #1: “this one looks… different. maybe it’ll tell us something we weren’t supposed to know.” they said, before putting the tape into the vhs player.

with a click, the tape slid into the old tv. the screen flickered, static hissing for a moment before revealing a dimly lit doorway. the door creaked open, and the camera slowly panned inside. there, lying on a bed, was the ‘cool’ zero. but they weren’t acting ‘cool’ at all.

they were curled up, snuggling a pillow tightly, murmuring sweet nothings as they pressed soft kisses against the fabric. zero: (the one w/ the hat): “fifteen… you’re the best…” they sighed dreamily, their voice dripping with warmth.

the room fell silent. after a bit of silence, everyone burst out laughing, including all the zeroes, five, two, six, and eight.

the ‘cool’ zero, still locked in the freezer, suddenly started kicking the door with a new sense of urgency.

zero (the one w/ the hat): “uh—hey, guys? guys? whatever you’re watching, stop it! i mean it! i swear, if you don’t—!” they were suddenly cut off, with more audio from the old tv.

the tape wasn’t over.

CONTINUE!